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Summerland has the same eerily compressed production values featured on the brilliant psychedelic work of Pete Miller, his vocals slathered in echo and almost crawling out from beneath the music. But whereas that vocal effect worked to perfection on his trippiest work, in the more conventional pop-demo setting of Summerland, it instead exposes his limitations as a singer, perhaps the only reason he never became a well-known figure in the Brit-pop world ofthe '60s. That is quibbling, to say the least, because his vocals, while not rangy, are still full of warmth and alluring mystery. But otherwise, there is no logical explanation for such a criminal oversight in the annals of rock & roll. Miller was an astoundingly unique songwriter -- possibly one of the most weirdly idiosyncratic from the era -- and that is plenty evident even on the more "commercially" oriented material collected on this reissue. All the songs were written and recorded between February 1966 and February 1968, the same stretch during which he was also virtually inventing (or at least helping to invent) oddball British psychedelia, and the music strongly reflects that sonic influence. So as usual, even his mainstream-targeted music is not exactly flying straight. Summerland, however, like most of his other work, squarely hits the bull's-eye. Miller runs through galloping psychedelia ("Where Did It Go?," with its freakish guitar solos), angst-filled pop ballads, lurching rock, even proto-country-rock lopes on "Forget Me Not" and "Sweet Talk Town," as well as the expected British invasion beat music influences on the excellent "Oh Miss Halliday," with each song spotlighting his extensive melodic skill. The amazing thing about the music (besides its diversity), though, is that it doesn't really sound like any music that came before or after it, and it is not at all beholden to the main influences of its era. If not as readily accessible to the public, Miller was every bit as individual in his way as the Beatles or Bob Dylan were in theirs, which is saying something indeed. Some of these songs are touched by a far-out mysticism, but generally, he penned a set of lyrics that were much more grounded in early romance, particularly of the teenage variety, and are far more straightforward than his trippy, Edward Lear-by-way-of-Joe Meek opuses. And Summerland isn't as consistently exceptional as his psychedelic collections -- maybe partly because one expects glorious eccentricity from Miller -- but it often reaches significant highs that make his neglected reputation all the more tragic. -- Stanton Swihart
Summerland compiles Miller's more pop-oriented recordings from the period of 1966 to 1968, and is filled with excellent examples of Merseybeat- style pop. "The In Thing" sets lyrics of closely observed social satire to a catchy pop tune in a manner reminiscent of Ray Davies' "Dedicated Follower of Fashion." "Time Has No Meaning" is a lovely echo-laden ballad with lots of reverbed guitar. On "Solo Solitaire," Miller chronicles a doomed love affair set against the backdrop of Soho and music with a slightly Eastern flavor. "Willow Tree" and "Listen Girl" are simply great pieces sixties guitar pop. If you enjoy the sixties era pop sounds of groups such as the Bee Gees, The Hollies and Herman's Hermits, it's a safe bet that you will enjoy this as well. -- Geoff Cabin |
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New
York Magazine (U.S.)1998